Comedy moments that are blatantly excuses to exorcise frustrated pop star dreams

[Cold Meat Platter]

I have been being facetious I am sorry. I shall stop now.

[vainsharpdad]

Didn't Jupitus genuinely join The Blockheads for a bit?

[Antiseptic Poetry]

Ali G's musical output was pretty dire - wasn't sure if it was meant to be ironic.

Harry Hill - I want a baby (embarrassing).

Mark and Lard released an album of parody songs in the mid to late 90s; my brother knew I liked listening to them so he bought it for me on cassette. Bag of shite.

[mr. logic]

Of course Ali G's musical output was supposed to be ironic.

[SpiderChrist]

I think his cover of Dizzy is fantastic.

As is the entire I Will Cure You album, especially this:

https://youtu.be/CVxIaJTJJ1U

[DrGreggles]

Bonus Oakey!

[stonkers]

Mark and Lard released an album of parody songs in the mid to late 90s; my brother knew I liked listening to them so he bought it for me on cassette. Bag of shite.

They always used to bang on about the Shirehorses on Radio 1 but I don't think I ever heard them, to the extent that I'm pretty sure I thought at the time it was just a bit and there wasn't really a band.

As part of their BBC Radio 1 shows, the pair produced pastiches of chart songs, such as "You're Gormless", a parody of Babybird's "You're Gorgeous", "Lardy Boy", a parody of Placebo's "Nancy Boy", and "Why Is It Always Dairylea", spoofing Travis's "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?", using the band names 'Baby Bloke', 'Gazebo' and 'Dave Lee Travisty' respectively. When they rewrote The Seahorses' "Love Is the Law" as "(Now) I Know (Where I'm Going) Our Kid", they chose the stage-name Shirehorses, which they then retained for future recordings and performances. Other parodies include "I Want a Roll with It" (spoofing "Roll with It" by Oasis), "Feel Like Shite" ("Alright" by Supergrass), and "Country Spouse" ("Country House" by Blur).

Bloody hell.

[stonkers]

Did I dream it or did he used to start every episode of one of his chat shows by singing a song called 'Fun Time Frankie'?  I had to mute it.  It seemed to be all the time but perhaps it was just a one-off that stuck in my horrified brain.

Yes I'm pretty sure he started most if not all episodes of The Frank Skinner Show with it.

[idunnosomename]

I remember doing similar song parodies when I was about ten years old

[thelittlemango]

They always used to bang on about the Shirehorses on Radio 1 but I don't think I ever heard them, to the extent that I'm pretty sure I thought at the time it was just a bit and there wasn't really a band.

Bloody hell.

I had that album too, used to love it when I was younger and saw them open Glastonbury in 1997, listening for the first time in years this morning, "bag of shite" is fair.

[Bad Ambassador]

There is a second album, Our Kid Eh (with a Radiohead-spoofing cover) which I have. I enjoyed both.

Tracks include:
If You Tolerate This Piss by the Manic Street Sweepers (about poor quality beer in student bars)
Why Is It Always Dairylea? by Dave Lee Travisty (about poor quality green room spreads)
No Big Sizes by Radioshed (about failing to lose weight)
Pardon by the Indecipherable Boys (a gibberish parody of the Beasties)
and a Status Quo medley that parodies them just by switching from one song to another without changing key, rhythm or music.

[Huxleys Babkins]

Every time I hear Status Quo, I remember them playing that ridiculous Quo medley at Glastonbury and it still makes me chuckle. Not even going to bother to look it up in case it's shite out of context. Caroliiiine.

[mjwilson]

Are we counting Charlotte Richie cramming a song into all her comedy projects? I don't remember whether she's managed it in Ghosts yet but give it time.

[Stoneage Dinosaurs]

Chris Moyles did a similar 'parody album' thing many years later which I shamefully bought (I was very young, I feel I should clarify that)

EDIT: actually just googled it, I was 16. Fuuuuuuck

[notjosh]

Early to mid 90s, Mark Lamarr hosted a series of late night (after Newsnight, I think) shows on BBC2 covering the Edinburgh Festival.

The climax of the mini series was a bunch of fellow comedians, introduced by Lamarr as being frustrated pop stars signing Gangster by The Specials.

Vocals: The Actor Kevin Eldon
Backing Vocals: Lamarr
Guitar: Bill Bailey
Bass: Boothby Graffoe (I think).
Drums: Can't remember

Phil Whelans on bass and Martin Trenaman on drums. They used to perform as "Beergut 100" sometimes. Whelans and Trenaman also backed Bailey up on Cosmic Jam as "The Stan Ellis Experiment".

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I'm not sure the Shirehorses count, since Mark and Lard were musicians before they became DJs.

[KennyMonster]

Early to mid 90s, Mark Lamarr hosted a series of late night (after Newsnight, I think) shows on BBC2 covering the Edinburgh Festival.

The climax of the mini series was a bunch of fellow comedians, introduced by Lamarr as being frustrated pop stars signing Gangster by The Specials.

Vocals: The Actor Kevin Eldon
Backing Vocals: Lamarr
Guitar: Bill Bailey
Bass: Boothby Graffoe (I think).
Drums: Can't remember

I watched a download of that fairly recently, it was Martin Trenaman (Simon's dad from Inbetweeners) on drums.

Phil Whelans on bass and Martin Trenaman on drums. They used to perform as "Beergut 100" sometimes. Whelans and Trenaman also backed Bailey up on Cosmic Jam as "The Stan Ellis Experiment".

Yes but Brundle"The Fly"-Fly [nb]He's not even a real fly[/nb] quickly deemed this to be non-canon, please let's not anger him.

[petril]

yeah. feels like there was an awareness of not just the bag, but also the shite.

I remember loving the first Shirehorses album. but it was 1998ish so those fucking compilation albums were starting to do everyone's nut in really.

because you're going home in a fucking ambulance is still one of my favourite song endings to this day

[rectorofstiffkey]

Are we counting Charlotte Richie cramming a song into all her comedy projects? I don't remember whether she's managed it in Ghosts yet but give it time.

Yes indeed!  In the Christmas episode, singing a carol at the piano.

[rectorofstiffkey]

Yes indeed!  In the Christmas episode, singing a carol at the piano.

That's just reminded me, that was Alison's only real wish for Christmas, singing carols together.  A big part of the episode was her trying to persuade the family to sing at the piano and being rebuffed, and being disappointed.  Despite the fact that nobody normal wants to do that. 

it makes a bit more sense now.

[RoadMaintenanceTycoon]

This bit from Naked Video for a start

Is it fair game to mention the rock and roll interludes from Bottom Live?

[Glebe]

Have the Absolutely team already been mentioned? Their songs were actually funny though.

[servese43]

Every thing the Doug Anthony All-Stars ever did.

[phantom_power]

This odd Laurie Andersonesque song from Alfresco - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n23lvHUOfWw

Corky and the Juice Pigs

Bruce McCulloch on Kids in the Hall (he had a couple of albums afterwards so I suppose it worked) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVzDIE0mr6A

[Thosworth]

Saw The Sh- Sh- Shirehorses at Brixton Academy, possibly. They unfortunately came on about three hours later than advertised to a therefore less than rapturous entrance.

Not to be forgotten: Russell Brand in two Hollywood movies as a rock star, with an album's worth of modestly amusing earnest pop songs.* In addition: An appearance at the Olympics closing ceremony ('I am the Walrus') and a godawful charity recording of 'When I'm 64'.

In one of his mask removed chats with Matt Morgan and/or Noel Gallagher on whatever station it was at the time, he protested slightly too much that he hated being a musicial artist, and derided the charity record as sounding like Dot Cotton, which to be fair it does.

*Just looked it up and apparently Infant Sorrow songwriters included Jarvis Cocker and Carl Barat

[jobotic]

There is a second album, Our Kid Eh (with a Radiohead-spoofing cover) which I have. I enjoyed both.

Tracks include:
If You Tolerate This Piss by the Manic Street Sweepers (about poor quality beer in student bars)
Why Is It Always Dairylea? by Dave Lee Travisty (about poor quality green room spreads)
No Big Sizes by Radioshed (about failing to lose weight)
Pardon by the Indecipherable Boys (a gibberish parody of the Beasties)
and a Status Quo medley that parodies them just by switching from one song to another without changing key, rhythm or music.

Hey ho
Where's Joe?
He's not in the garden
Or the bedroom with a hard-on



Is something I remember from them. Not fondly.

[Ignatius_S]

Russ Abbott's ITV series went from ending on parodies of pop song to serious songs, didn't it? Fucking hated that as a kid. Sit through 25 minutes of mediocrity hoping to see a Tommy Cooper impression and instead you're rewarded with Mr Atmosphere's attempt to be Pat Boone.

What was it with these guys and the fucking Pet Shop Boys. Couldn't stop themselves.

No, I think all the songs were parodies - IIRC, the show did indeed end on a song, but there was usually another song earlier on.

[Jockice]

He was also part of Bubonique with Cathal Coughlan (Microdisney, Fatima Mansions) and Paul Jarvis (Slab!) that had a couple of albums on Kitchenware Records.

You wait 34 years to see a mention of Slab! anywhere, then you get two in a week on CaB. Although admittedly I made one of them myself. On my dying on stage thread on the main board if you remotely care.

I loved Bubonique though. So he's sort of forgiven for one of the worst concerts I've ever been to.

[Pauline Walnuts]

Tony Ferrino was my obvious one,

Found out a while back the Two Ronnies actually put out albums in character as their country music alter egos.

enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaLaFk9RUX8


And about half of 'I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue' these days.

[Noodle Lizard]

Has nobody mentioned Ed Helms yet? I'm sure it's in his contract that he has to show off his tepid musical skills in everything he does. In the case of The Office, there's a stretch where it seems to be crowbarred into every episode, despite it not making any sense.

Craig Robinson as well, I suppose. Sometimes they did it together!